Killing of Pascal Suleiman
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On April 9, 2024, Pascal Suleiman (Arabic: باسكال سليمان) a senior figure in the Christian Lebanese Forces party was shot and killed in the area of Byblos, Lebanon.[1][2] Approximately a day and a half later, his body was found in Syria, sparking outrage among the Christian population in Lebanon, which vented its anger on Syrian refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war to Lebanon for several days.[3]
The Killing
On the afternoon of April 7, 2024, Pascal Suleiman, a coordinator for the Christian Lebanese Forces party in the Byblos area, got into his car after returning from a condolence visit. While driving, he was ambushed and kidnapped by unidentified assailants. A day and a half later, his body was found in Syria. Pascal Suleiman's body was delivered to the Basel al-Assad Hospital in Homs by the Lebanese Red Cross and then transported to Lebanon.[3]
Aftermath of the Killing
Initially, it was claimed that Hezbollah was behind the Killing, however, the Lebanese security forces argued that a gang of Syrian refugees was responsible. The discovery of his body in Syria and the shifting of blame towards the Syrian refugees angered the Christians in Lebanon, who clashed with the refugees in the streets between Jbeil and other places across Lebanon. On April 10, local Christians in Bourj Hammoud, a suburb of Beirut, declared to the Syrian migrants in the area that they must vacate all businesses and apartments in Bourj Hammoud by April 12. The following day, Christians distributed leaflets in the Ashrafieh neighborhood of Beirut, issuing an ultimatum to the Syrian refugees to leave the area by April 12 (the next day).[3][4][5]
Following the killing, the Lebanese Interior Minister declared that the presence of Syrians in Lebanon must end, and security forces were instructed to enforce Lebanese law on the Syrian refugees within Lebanon's territory.[6]
Despite investigation findings indicating that Syrian refugees were involved in the killing, participants in Sliman's body transfer procession from Syria to Lebanon called Hezbollah a "terrorist organization".[7][8] The funeral will be held on Friday, April 12, at 1:00 PM at the Church of Saint George, Byblos. The Lebanese-Christian community called the citizens of Lebanon to unite, and participate in the funeral ceremony in solidarity of his "martyrdom".[9]
References
- ^ i24NEWS (2024-04-09). "Lebanese Christian politician kidnapped and found murdered in Syria". I24news. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "الوكالة الوطنية للإعلام - Army receives body of citizen Pascal Suleiman from Syrian authorities". National News Agency. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ a b c Staff, All Arab News (2024-04-10). "Lebanese Christian official confirmed killed, Lebanese Army blames 'carjacking attempt'". All Arab News. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ SyriacPress (2024-04-10). "Public outrage over murder of Lebanese Forces Coordinator Pascal Suleiman in Jbeil". SyriacPress. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ "الوكالة الوطنية للإعلام - Lebanese Forces advocate for transparency in Pascal Sleiman's assassination investigation". National News Agency. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ "Lebanon minister vows tighter grip on Syrians after killing of party official". France 24. 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ "The funeral of Pascal Suleiman, the senior member of the Lebanese Forces (Christian) party, earlier today".
- ^ "Video of the body transfer procession".
- ^ "تفاصيل الجنازة والتعازي بالراحل "باسكال سليمان"!". www.lebanondebate.com. Retrieved 2024-04-11.